Teacher Student Thing
by watergurl123
Summary: Take Rory and Jess, add in the fact that he's 17 and she's soon to be 22, oh and one more thing, she's his teacher. LIT. AU
1. Chapter 1

**So I have a little background info. for you. Rory is a brand new teacher at Stars Hollow High. Jess is living with Luke at the diner and is in his senior year. Lorelai is still Rory's mother but they never lived in Stars Hollow, however Lorelai still did leave her parents house after she had Rory but they lived somewhere else. Lorelai won't be in this story very much except for maybe mentioned by Rory. Jess, Dean, Lane, and all other teens are still in the story and are 17. There won't be any L/L in this story since Lorelai doesn't know Luke. Rory just moved to Stars Hollow for her teaching job and has never known anyone there. Ok I think you can find out the rest as the story goes on. Please review and let me know if I should continue. I just wanted to try something new.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. **

She circled the room once again making sure every desk was perfectly aligned, every filing cabinet was in its correct place, books lining shelves were all organized, new chalk was placed on the ledge of the chalkboards, until everything was perfect. She walked to the board and took a piece of brand new chalk and raised it to the board writing slowly 'Ms. Gilmore' in neat cursive. She placed the chalk back on its spot and turned around. She looked up at the clock to see that it was now ten minutes before the new school year would begin and students would start trickling into the school, and for the first time, her classroom. She sat down at her newly purchased chair and desk, crossed her legs, and sat somewhat nervously for the first bell to ring signaling that the day had indeed begun. She tapped her nails lightly on the desk as small butterflies danced in her stomach. She felt ridiculous. A 21-year-old woman, soon to be 22, was nervous about teaching a group of 17-year-old students. Granted it did happen to be her first year of teaching on her own. She had begun learning to be a teacher almost immediately after graduating high school. She started out as assistants to teachers in their classrooms or a substitute. Finally this year she had been given a chance on her own with her own classroom. She looked around it with a small smile and a sense of pride. This is where she would reside for the next 180 days until summer came.

A shrill ring brought her out of her thoughts as the bell sounded. She looked to the door and could see through the glass kids walking through the hallways. She laughed as she spotted some freshman. She could tell they were by how confused they looked by their surroundings, maps held in front of their faces, groups pointing in every which direction trying to decipher where they should go. The more experienced ones walked slowly through the halls, stopping to greet friends, talking at lockers.

Then one stopped in front of her door, looked up to check the number, and slowly turned the knob to come inside. It was a young girl with long jet black, straight hair, glasses, and a shirt that said 'Love God' on it. She walked to a desk placed on the left side of the room and set her things down. As soon as she was done doing this she straightened herself out, grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head, revealing a shirt with 'Blur' sewn on the front. Rory's lips widened into a smile and a quiet laugh escaped her lips.

The girl looked up when she heard the teacher laughing. She saw she was smiling warmly at her so she smiled back as she sat down into her desk and placed the shirt she had taken off into her book bag.

"Good morning. I'm Ms. Gilmore." Rory said kindly to her. The girl replied, "Hi. My names Lane." She then proceeded to take a CD player out of her backpack, put on her headphones, and turn it on. She bobbed her head silently to her music.

Rory heard a small click and turned her head as another student came into the classroom. Slowly more and more students came in until 10 minutes later the bell rang signaling that class had begun. As she stood up to introduce herself the door opened and one more student walked, well more like sauntered into the classroom. He had very dark brown hair, almost black, wore loose fitting jeans, a black button up shirt with its sleeves rolled to his elbows, and carried only a pencil with him and a book in his back pocket. He carelessly walked to a seat at the very back of the classroom and sat down, slouching down low and folded his arms over his chest. Rory slightly raised one eyebrow in his direction as a small smirk graced his face.

She continued to walk around the desk and stopped in front of it. She smiled as she said "Good morning. My name is Ms. Gilmore, as it says on the board, and I will be your English teacher. I look forward to spending this year with you." Some students who had chosen to sit in the front rows, the 'good kids' as they were most likely called, smiled back while others had blank expressions, and some were frowning slightly. "I hope all of you will be able to learn something valuable in this classroom and come to appreciate what a wonderful thing the English language can be." The expressions continued as they had before but somewhere from the back she heard a small snort. She looked to see the young man who had come in late with a nasty frown and an expression that could only be described as deadly.

"I assume everyone was given the list of books we will be reading by last years English teachers. It asked that everyone please have the book "Anthem" by Ayn Rand the first day of school. Would you all please take that out." Slowly hands reached into bags and the book was withdrawn and placed onto desks with a soft thud. She gazed around to see who had their book. She walked through rows peering over shoulders. What a shock, she thought sarcastically, that the same young man who hadn't brought anything to class also did not have the book on his desk. "You don't have yours?" She asked.

"Oh of course I do. Can't you see it right there?" He bit back sarcastically. Her eyes narrowed considerably at his rude response but all he did was lean back even farther in his chair and stare at her with cold eyes. She walked past him and continued her check until she had counted that 2 others did not have their book. "If you don't have your book today please see that you get it by the end of this week. After that I'll have to start deducting points from your grade."

She walked back to the board, her heels making a soft click with each step. She picked up the chalk and wrote 'Read pages 1-25, Write a one page summary' underneath her name. She set the chalk down and dusted her hands off as she turned around. "That is your assignment. You may start now but if you don't finish there will be extra time tomorrow. For those of you who do not have your book," She trailed off as she grabbed a small stack of papers and began to walk to the back, "You will have to complete these grammar worksheets." She set one of them on the boy's desk. He stared down at it with a bored expression, flipped it over, and pulled the book out of his back pocket and removed the pencil from behind his ear as he began to scribble in the margins of it. She huffed slightly, exasperated, and gave the other 2 students their papers.

She walked to the front of the class and looked at the clock. "We have about 20 minutes left so get started." She then returned to her desk and sat down in her chair. She picked up a small notebook which had the names of the students listed on it. "I'm going to take attendance. When I call your name would you please raise your hand but continuing working." She called off name after name. "Dean Forrester" she called out and a boy who appeared to be tall, even when sitting down, raised his hand. She came to "Lane Kim" and the young girl who had first entered her class raised her hand. She continued on until she reached "Jess Mariano." She looked around for a hand but found none. "Is there a Jess Mariano here?" She continued to look until slowly the boy in the far back flicked his hand up quickly before letting it drop down again. She checked his name off then looked back to see that he was still reading the book he had taken out before, completely ignoring the sheet in front of him. She sighed and shook her head softly. She looked back up to try and get a glimpse at what he was reading. He was reading 'The Old Man and the Sea' by Ernest Hemmingway. She scrunched her nose up in distaste. Hemmingway was a cure for insomnia she always thought. She continued through the list until each person was accounted for. She looked to the clock and saw that there was 5 minutes left until the bell would ring for class to end. "Alright everyone you can close your books, we have 5 minutes left. Tomorrow after this assignment is finished we're just going to take the rest of the period to relax and get to know one another. Have a good rest of the day." She smiled at them once again. 2 more minutes until the bell would ring and everyone was finished packing up.

It rang and students began to stand, filing out of the classroom and back into the halls to their next class. The young man, Jess she remembered, was the last to stand. As he was about to pass her by she softly touched his arm for him to stop. He looked over with his eyebrows knitted together and a scowl on his lips. She softly said, "I can tell you're not exactly thrilled to be here but I'm asking you for a little cooperation. It doesn't take much to make me happy but doing a simple assignment would be a start. Now I just think we got off on the wrong foot and I'm sorry if your having a bad day or some other problem but could you try, if even a little, tomorrow? I would greatly appreciate it." She finished with a reassuring smile.

He looked down at her hand, which was still lightly resting on his arm. He then looked back up at her. She was young. Very young to be a teacher. In fact she looked like she'd just gotten out of high school herself. She had shoulder length brown hair and extremely blue eyes. She wore a black skirt that rested just above her knees, black shoes with a pointed toe and small heel, and a baby blue sweater that made her eyes even brighter. There was no denying that she was beautiful. As he looked at her he was trying to read her. She looked kind, confident, and sophisticated. However he could see her hesitance, her nervousness. She was brand new he assumed.

She stood there as a minute or 2 passed since she had stopped him. She was beginning to grow uncomfortable. He was just standing there, staring at her. He had yet to give her an answer. She removed her hand from his arm and crossed her hands in front of her. "Well?" She asked after she couldn't stand his scrutinizing anymore.

He smirked as he saw her shift her weight to her other foot uneasily. "We'll see." He said before turning and walking out of the room and turning the corner. When he had left she let out a sigh. She lifted her hand to her forehead and felt a headache behind her eyes. Her hand was shaking slightly from his unwavering gaze. She had always felt uncomfortable when people looked at her for an extended period of time. She grew self-conscious easily.

She let out a long breath of air and turned back to once again take a seat at her desk and wait for her next class to arrive.

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	2. Chapter 2

**Nothing too exciting. Just some filler to build the story up. Thanks to all those who reviewed the first chapter, I'm very glad your enjoying it so far. Hope you like. Please review.  
**

**Disclaimer: Not mine **

Jess stood across the street from the school, leaning against a tree, smoking a cigarette. He watched as other kids walked along the sidewalk up to the front steps. Most of them stayed outside the doors on the steps talking to one another. People went off to join their groups huddling together talking animatedly, laughing about random things, inside jokes. He just continued to watch them all as his cigarette continued to burn down to nothing but ash. He took one last drag from it before throwing it down and stomping it out with his boot. It was no secret that he was highly disliked in town. He had been pinned as the 'outcast, rebel, hoodlum' from day one. Not that he really minded the labels. It allowed him to slip by without having any expectations. He could do as he pleased without anyone being disappointed in his actions. Luke used to have expectations, but after living with Jess for over a year now he had grown to being happy if he was home at a decent hour. He hardly asked about his school work anymore, seeing as how he almost never got an answer anyway, or if he did it was a list of colorful words thrown in his direction before a door was slammed shut. He still expected him to help in the diner occasionally and at least attend school but that was all. The town had grown accustomed to ignoring him.

He sighed heavily and pulled a book out of his pocket. He reached to the top of his ear for a pen and scowled when he didn't find one. He then proceeded to check the rest of his pockets and found that he had forgotten to grab one on his way out. "Damn" He said quickly as he debated whether to walk back to the diner and grab one or head to school. He finally decided to just head to the diner, it wasn't like he hadn't been late before, quite the contrary actually. Just as he was turning to head back he felt someone behind him cough lightly. He turned slowly on his heel to see his English teacher standing about 5 feet in front of him.

"Looking for this?" She said as she held up a black pen between her thumb and index finger. He looked at her suspiciously, wondering as to how she got his pen and as if on cue she said "You dropped it when you were walking. Figured you might want it." She held it out to him and waited for him to take it. He reached up and took the pen from her fingers and stuck it quickly behind his ear.

"Thanks" He said quickly before stepping aside from her and walking towards the school. He walked up the steps and as he was about to walk through the doors an extremely tall guy, one he thought he recognized, walked out and ran into his shoulder. "Watch it" He snapped angrily before walking past him inside.

Dean looked back and shook his head with a frown before he walked down the steps to join some friends before he had to go back inside.

Rory watched the exchange a few feet from the steps. She shook her head with a small smile and thought 'boys' before climbing the stairs. As she walked up them she saw Dean, not too stealthily, look her up and down. She rolled her eyes and sighed as she continued on walking quickly down the hall with a large cup of coffee in hand and a bag on her shoulder with her schedule plans. She turned into her classroom and set her bag down while taking a large sip from her coffee. As she turned around she let out a yelp and jumped, in the process dropping her cup on the floor, as the liquid splattered on the floor. "Shit" She mumbled quietly as she looked down at the floor sadly at the loss of her beverage. She looked up and saw the cause of the incident sitting in his chair stifling a laugh with a glint in his eye.

"A little jumpy are we?" Jess tried to say calmly but couldn't suppress the smirk that overtook his face.

"I just wasn't expecting anybody to be in here right now. There's still about 7 minutes before the late bell rings." She tried to say without seeming embarrassed. "What are you doing in here so early anyway?" She asked as she grabbed some tissues off her desk and knelt down to clean up the coffee.

"Figured you'd count this as my cooperation for the day." He said nonchalantly as he watched her mop up the mess. He sighed before standing and walking over to the tissues and getting a few as well. He wiped what was left before standing and throwing the tissues in the trashcan. Rory looked surprised he had helped her as she stood. "Thanks." She said with a little smile. Maybe he wouldn't be such a pain after all.

"Yeah just consider that my cooperation for the week." He replied in a smart-ass tone before reclaiming his seat and pulling out his book. Her shoulders slumped in defeat. 'So close' she thought as she sat at her desk and looked around the classroom. She let out a content sigh.

Jess glanced up when he heard her sigh to see a content expression on her face. A rumble slowly started in his throat and worked its way out of his mouth as he chuckled softly.

Her eyes landed on the sole other person in the room. She heard him laughing quietly and asked, "What?"

"You look like a kid on Christmas. Who would have guessed a teacher actually liked their job?" He responded sarcastically but without the usual bite to it.

She smiled. "I really do. I always loved English in school so I figured why not teach it? And being able to read free books? Heaven." She stated simply.

"Ah, so I get it now, ulterior motives." Jess replied back. "And here I thought you did this out of the goodness of your heart. I'm crushed, truly."

"And again with the sarcasm. It never fails does it?" She said laughing lightly. He wasn't so bad when you were alone with him. No harsh remarks so far, hopefully the day would continue with the same good start.

Just like yesterday students came into the classroom, taking the seats they had claimed as their own. They unpacked their stuff, retrieving their books and pulling out yesterday's papers. She instructed them to continue with the assignment from yesterday and to place it on her desk when they were done. Slowly students begin to walk to her desk and put their papers down silently, then returned to their seats. After everyone had turned their papers in she stacked them and put them into her desk. She stood and walked to the front of the room where a stool was sitting. She stopped when she came to stand next to it. "Like I said yesterday, today we're going to get know one another a little better. I want each one of you to come up here, one at a time, and tell the class something about yourself. It can be anything you like, you can talk as much as you like, as little as you like, but you have to say something. Now who wants to go first?" She asked. Silence followed and hands remained firmly planted down. 'Don't all go at once' she thought as she searched through the group to find someone to pick. "Umm…Lane how about you?"

Lane reluctantly stood to her feet and slowly walked to the front of the room before sitting on the stool and looking over the class. Mostly all held the same expression. Bored, tired, could-care-less attitudes. She spoke quickly "I live in the only Korean family in town and my mother disapproves of anything American." She then proceeded to hop off from the stool and go back to her seat.

"Thank you, Lane." Rory said with eyes slightly widened. She continued on with this method, scanning the crowd. Occasionally someone would be brave enough and raise their hand but it was very seldom. Finally everyone had gone except Jess with no surprise. "Jess? You haven't gone yet have you?" She eyed him warily.

"Nope" He replied uninterested as he still continued to read his book. "Well then would you please come tell us something about you?" Rory asked politely.

"Not much to tell." He responded in the same tone. She sighed. What had happened to the guy from this morning?

"Come on there has to be one thing. Anything at all."

He looked up at her with eyebrows raised before saying stonily "I used to live in New York" then continued reading.

"Oh, did you like it there?" Rory asked politely.

"What happened to saying as little as you want?" Jess asked mockingly with a sneer.

"Yes, I'm sorry. That's fine." She stated somewhat embarrassed. "Well we only have a few minutes left so we'll stop here. Enjoy the rest of your day." As the last word fell out of her mouth the bell sounded. When all had left the room she walked back to her desk, sat down, and let her head drop flat onto its surface. This class would be the death of her.

The bell rang finally ending the last period of the day. Students left and she began to put her things into her bag. As she continued to get her things she heard someone stepping into her room. She looked up to see Jess before her. "Hello Jess. Is there something I can do for you?" She asked as she looked at him with one raised eyebrow.

"Thought you might like this back." He stated as he removed a thin paperback book from his pocket and tossed it carelessly onto her desk.

Her eyebrows furrowed as she flipped it over to scan its cover. She immediately recognized it as the book she had been reading earlier that day during her lunch break. She opened it to look through its pages and spotted small writing along the edges. "When did you…" She trailed off still stunned as to how he'd gotten it without her spotting him once.

"I have my ways." He responded haughtily with a smirk. "Just thought I'd show you, rather than explain to you, why I find it unnecessary to be studying English."

"Oh, and why is that?" She asked faking puzzlement.

"Wastes time. I'm pretty sure I already learned how to read and write, or at least that's what they told me once I passed second grade. But you never know, could have lied." He said sarcastically with a slight shrug.

She shook her head, "There's a lot more to English than just learning correct grammar or pronunciation of words. Learning about great literature, how to analyze the text, get inside the author's mind and know what they were feeling or thinking. Being able to dive into an alternate world and live the part of the characters? Its amazing." She said passionately.

Jess look at her carefully for a moment. She was so different from any other teacher he'd ever met. Hell, she was different from any other person he'd ever met. She loved books, there was not doubt about that. She spoke with passion and amazement as she explained her love for them. Funny how he'd gone through 17 years of torturous schooling, and the year where he is finally about to escape, he finds a teacher he doesn't find utterly unbearable. Fate could be cruel sometimes. "Huh." He said in a monotone before turning and walking out of the classroom.

Rory sat at her desk confused as she stared at the spot he had just occupied. She then remembered the book in her hands and looked down. She opened to the first page and began to read, paying close attention to the small printed words scrawled on the sides.

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	3. Chapter 3

**I'm sorry that it took so long to update. I moved the story ahead a few days to the weekend. Hope you like it and please review. Thank you to all those who already have. Sorry for the shortness.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own it. **

Rory lay peacefully in bed. Deep in a dream filled with happy dancing coffee and Oompa-Loompas. Her mother's doing. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory had always been a favorite in their household growing up. Her mother had a thing for the strange little men. A smile graced her face as her dream continued without disturbance until she heard a soft noise. It continued to grow louder until the Oompa-Loompa's and coffee had vanished and all she could hear was the steadily increasing noise. A scowl appeared on her face as she finally opened her eyes, now awake and rolled over to find that it was her alarm clock. Bright red numbers flashed 6:00. She groaned as she realized that after coming home last night she had forgotten to turn the alarm off. She whacked it with a clumsy hand and still sleep filled mind until she hit the button to turn it off. She lay back on her bed with a sigh, head plopping back on her pillow. She closed her eyes and attempted to chase after her dream once again. She let out a groan as she realized she wouldn't be able to.

She opened her eyes again and slowly sat up in bed, balancing herself on her arms, which were stretched out behind her. She looked out her window and saw the sun slowly starting to creep over the horizon. She looked over at her alarm again and it now red 6:06. At least 4 hours too early to be up on a Saturday she thought. She swung her legs over to the side of the bed, now fully awake. Her feet softly padded across the floor as she made her way downstairs. She made her way to the kitchen and began making a much-needed pot of coffee. When it was done she poured herself a generous amount and sat at her table. What to do at 6:06 on a Saturday morning in a brand new town?

She walked slowly down the street glancing over at the sights either way. This town was insane, that much she had concluded. However it was a welcome insanity. It was warm and friendly, as she had already been greeted with a kind 'good morning' by several early birds. Or perhaps, like her, they had been brought out of their peaceful slumber just a bit too early. She smiled as she saw a store, which held various cat paraphernalia inside. Much to her amazement she spotted several stores that sold nothing but porcelain unicorns. There was an old antique shop, a car repair shop, and also a certain 'Ms. Patty's Dance Studio.' As she glanced over she saw a rather large older woman, Ms. Patty she assumed, inside placing various mats on the floor. She looked up and smiled down at her in greeting and yelled out in a strong voice "Good morning, darling!"

Rory smiled and returned her greeting brightly. She continued to walk down the street but as she did she noticed Ms. Patty stepping out the doors of her studio and watching her with a smile. She quirked an eyebrow but continued on anyway. As she looked across the street yet again she saw a building adorned with a sign that stated 'William's Hardware.' However as she looked to the side she also saw a sign that read Luke's. Confused she looked down the street and saw no cars so quickly walked over. She looked through the glass and saw that it was indeed not a hardware store but a diner. She felt a faint rumble in her stomach and smiled, as she had not had any breakfast to eat this morning. She was a terrible cook anyway. Also her mother's doing.

She opened the door and a faint jingle played from the bell above. 'Cliché,' she thought, 'but sweet.' A small town with overly friendly people, insane stores, and bells over every door. A happy jingle in greeting to whomever may enter. Since she was alone she took a seat at the counter rather than a table. She waited patiently as she surveyed her surroundings. She saw a stack of menus so she delicately took one and looked inside. The food here looked good, hopefully it tasted good too.

She looked to her left and saw a man, not old but certainly older than her, maybe in his late 40's coming over her way. 'Must be Luke' She thought. He wore a blue flannel shirt, backward baseball cap, light blue pants, and boots. He appeared something akin of a trucker mixed with a lumberjack. However he was handsome, a bit scruffy, not out of shape. He had blue eyes that appeared friendly. Finally he stood before her and spoke quickly, "Hi, what can I getcha?"

"Um, a cheeseburger and fries please with a cup of coffee." She said politely.

He nodded his head, "Coming right up." Then he walked around taking other various orders before disappearing back into the kitchen. She continued to sit and wait for about 10 to 15 more minutes before a plate piled heavily with food was placed in front of her. "Thank you." She spoke with gleaming eyes as she looked at how delicious it appeared. Then a red mug was placed next to her and coffee was poured in, filling it to the brim. She took a sip quickly and responded immediately, "Oh my god! This is some of the best coffee I've ever had." She blushed furiously at her sudden outburst and quickly downcast her face to hide her embarrassment.

She heard a snort, which was followed shortly by, "That stuff will kill you some day." However he held a small smile and his face showed amusement.

Seeing that he hadn't thought her weird she felt less uncomfortable. "Well me and my mother have been drinking it ever since I can remember. She calls it our elixir of life." She replied with a small laugh.

"You mother sounds like a nutcase." He replied good-naturedly.

"She prefers the term mentally unstable." She replied yet again with a laugh. He smiled one last time before retreating back to his previous activities. She happily munched away on her food as she thought about what else she might do today. As she ate she heard a clunking sound behind the wall she was seated across from. She looked over to the doorway and her eyes widened in surprise as she saw Jess appear from around the corner.

Jess rounded the corner and stopped when he looked up and saw Ms. Gilmore sitting at the counter and much like he, staring with wide eyes. However he quickly recovered and continued his walk behind the counter and grabbed an ordering pad and pen.

Finally she found her voice, "Good morning Jess." He looked up at her briefly and nodded his head once.

She looked good this morning. She was wearing a small black shirt with 'London Calling' written across the front, dark blue jeans, and a pair of converse shoes. He'd never seen her so…casual before. Given, this was the first time he'd seen her anywhere outside of school before. He liked it though it suited her well. Good taste in music he also noted.

Once again she noticed him looking at her. She looked down at her attire and suddenly became embarrassed. She hadn't done any laundry for a while and so she had resorted to some clothes she'd had when she still attending high school. The shirt was beginning to become to small, nearly exposing her stomach. She hadn't worn converse shoes in over 2 years, or if she had only in her leisure time. But now she had one of her students looking at clothing she had bought back in 10th grade. Oy was the only word that came to mind.

He smirked as he saw her look down at her clothes and watched as once again a slight pink tinted her cheeks. She was quite bashful wasn't she? He leaned closer on his elbows until he was mere inches from her face, possibly too close, and whispered, "Don't worry. It looks good." He then quickly stood straight again and walked out from behind the counter and to a table where a new customer had come in.

Her face grew unbearably hot and her hands shook as she swallowed loudly. What the hell was that? She was pretty sure students were never supposed to get that close to their teachers. Did he just like pushing her buttons? But oddly, though she was shook from the close proximity his words calmed her. Was it wrong to be happy that a 17-year-old boy thought you looked good? Well she was pretty sure it wasn't but throw in the word student and that could change a few things. She shook her head as if to dismiss the thought, pulled out $15.00, placed it on the counter, and quickly scurried out the door.

Oh yeah, she was never getting up at 6:06 on a Saturday morning again.

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	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you all so much for the reviews. I love them. This continues right from the last chapter. I hope you like it, please let me know what you think. Love.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own it. **

She was walking briskly down the street almost 20 feet by now, a true accomplishment for a Gilmore, when she felt a hand clamp down on her shoulder. She jumped and whirled around clutching her chest. "My God! Do you plot these things against me?" She cried dramatically.

"How did you ever know." Jess said with a quick roll of his eyes. "Figured you might be needing this." He said as he held up a small black purse, which she recognized to be hers. In her haste she must have forgotten it.

"Oh! Thank you." She said as she took it from his grasp. She opened it slightly and looked inside.

He scowled as he saw her. "Planning on finding something missing?"

She snapped her eyes up to meet his and at the same time closed her purse. She saw his angry expression and lowered her eyes, ashamed. "No, no of course not…its just…" She trailed off, not finding a good explanation.

"Whatever." He spat before turning around.

"Wait!" Rory called as she grabbed his elbow lightly. He whipped his head around and stared at her before dropping his gaze to her hand. She quickly released his arm and folded her hands in front of her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to seem so..." She said with sincerity.

He sighed quietly. He knew she never meant to offend him. "No biggy." Jess said with as much indifference as he could muster. They looked each other in the eye for a few seconds before he decided this wasn't going anywhere. "Well staring contests aren't really my thing so I'm just gonna…" He said while pointing his thumb back in the direction of the diner. She said nothing and so with one final nod he began to turn back.

"Jess!" She called once again causing him to turn around.

"Yes?" He said with a hint of aggravation. She began to smile and at first he knit his eyebrows but then relaxed when he realized what she was smiling about. It rhymed. "If you say what I think you're about to," He started but was cut off by her.

"You're a poet, and you didn't even know it." She said with a triumphant grin. He groaned and rolled his eyes but the tiniest of grins appeared on his face. "Admit it." She said with a laugh.

He shook his head defiantly. "Never." He said with a crooked grin, not yet exposing his teeth.

Silence overtook them as they awkwardly stared at one another. She blew out a long silent breath. "Well I guess I should be going. But thanks again for my purse." Rory said while lifting it slightly in the air.

"Yea." He said as his form of welcoming. For the third time he began to walk back to the diner when once again (how predictable) she called his name. However this time he did not turn.

"Would you like to go to a bookstore with me? I heard about this one in Hartford." She said. Wait, what? She thought as she began to panic.

Jess still didn't turn, as he himself was thoroughly confused. "Excuse me?" He asked, not rudely but as if to say 'come again?'

Abort, her mind screamed at her but today the circuit connecting her mouth and brain seemed to have fried. "As an apology for earlier." She offered. Wow today really wasn't going at all like she had imagined.

He finally turned to face her and could see that her face was drained of color and her eyes were wide, clearly in just as much shock as him. However his appearance didn't give it away. "Ok." He said quietly. "Let me just go…grab my wallet."

All she could do was simply nod as she watched him make his way to the diner and through the door. She blinked rapidly as if she were regaining consciousness or finally seeing the light.

But this was just an apology. Nothing to fret over.

The car ride was quiet, only the radio breaking the deafening silence. They had arrived a little over half an hour later outside of a small brick building, no bigger than an average 2-story home. When they had reached the inside both had immediately relaxed, the atmosphere calming them both. They were themselves here. Instinctively they branched off in different directions, going towards their preferred sections.

They browsed for hours, occasionally bumping into one another, exchanging opinions on certain books and arguing over others.

Rory sat cross-legged against a cabinet, pulling different books off of shelves and skimming their cover's. She saw a book by Ayn Rand and pulled it off the shelf. She had always been one of her favorites. She smiled as she read the summary.

She looked to her left and saw Jess in the next aisle, leaning against a bookcase, engrossed in a novel. "Jess," Rory whispered as to not disturb the other patrons.

He looked up when and saw her motioning for him to walk over. He closed the book and held it by his side as he walked over to her. He crouched in front of her. "Hey." He said quietly.

"What are you reading?" She inquired.

"Hemmingway." He said with recognizable pride for the man.

"Oh, spare me." She said with a scrunch of her nose.

He scoffed as he said, "Like you have anything better."

She smirked as she held up Ayn Rand. Now it was his turn to scrunch his nose in disgust as he said, "Yep, nothing better."

She frowned as she said, "How can you not like her? She's a wonderful author!"

"More like a political nut." He said with an eye roll. "Explain to me how you don't like Hemmingway."

"Well I suppose there is one good thing about him." She said innocently and he smirked. "He does help me sleep much better." She said with a wicked grin and he scowled at her.

"I win." She said childishly.

"And they call you the adult." He mumbled under his breath. He looked down at his watch and saw that it now read 3:00. They'd been there for over 4 hours.

Rory also noticed the time and decided it was probably best to head back to Stars Hollow. Amazingly, she had really enjoyed herself today. In the beginning it had been awkward but once they had reached the bookstore things had gone much smoother. They had even had a few normal conversations. She knew he couldn't be all scowls and sarcasm.

They took their various books to the front of the store before purchasing them and walking to her car.

Although the radio still played, the drive back was also filled with the soft sound of voices talking quietly.

When they reached Stars Hollow it was only 3:30 so she drove to the diner. She parked outside by the sidewalk and shut off the engine.

They sat quietly as Rory drummed her fingers on the steering wheel and Jess lightly tapped his fingers on his window.

"Thanks." He said as he glanced over at her. She smiled at him and said you're welcome. "Definitely a good way to say you're sorry."

She laughed happily, one that exposed all her teeth and created little creases in the corners of her eyes. As her laughter died down she said, "Well I guess I'll see you on Monday for school."

He shrugged as he got out of the car and began to walk towards the diner. As he wrapped his hand smoothly around the handle he turned his head slightly as he said, "You never know," he opened the door, "There's always Sunday." He stepped inside.

Rory stared at the door for a second longer before restarting her car and driving down he road.

Jess looked out from the apartment window as he watched her go down the street.

Indeed there was always Sunday.

**So? You like? **


	5. Chapter 5

**This chapter still takes place on the weekend but the next will be back during the week. Thank you for all the wonderful reviews. I'm really glad you seem to be enjoying my story so much. Hope you like it. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own it. **

He laid in bed quietly, lazily tracing patterns on the ceiling with his eyes. Sometimes words, other times shapes, never anything of importance. If he focused hard enough maybe even a small picture. He faintly could hear the soft chatter below the floor as more customers entered the diner. He closed his eyes and sighed as he prepared himself for another day of disapproving words and unfriendly glances. What had kept him here for so long he wasn't entirely sure. Friends that he didn't have and kindness that he didn't receive?

"Jess get your ass up now!" Luke's voice boomed from the staircase.

He smirked as he sunk further into his mattress, determined to push his uncle to his limits. Not an uncommon thing by any standards. Who was he to break routine? He silently mouthed numbers as he counted. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5…

"Jess!" Luke's voice raised a pitch. He could just picture him, throat tight, face red, jaw clenched. He snickered but finally rose from bed.

The bathroom door opened and he walked to his dresser as he rubbed his dripping hair with a towel. He quickly changed into dark blue jeans and a worn T-shirt. Sitting down on his bed, the mattress creaked beneath his weight and sunk heavily, reminding him he needed to talk to Luke about getting a new one. He tied his boots quickly before grabbing a light jacket and heading downstairs.

"Where have you been? I've been calling for you for almost an hour now." Luke stated gruffly as he shoved an ordering pad towards Jess.

"Huh, you know my hearing has been a little off lately. Maybe I'm going deaf." He deadpanned.

"Hilarious. Table by the window." Luke replied as he handed him the coffeepot and Jess grabbed a mug.

"You know Luke refusing to get me proper treatment could be considered abuse," Jess trailed off as he retreated back into the kitchen. Luke just shook his head and continued walking.

He smirked as he turned and walked to the table. "Coffee?" He asked monotonously to the young man as he stared out the window. He quickly poured until the cup was full and moved around seeing if anyone else needed a refill. He quietly worked, not speaking whenever possible. Once he saw that there were no empty cups in sight he threw the ordering pad under the counter and shrugged on his jacket. "Luke I'm going out."

Luke's head popped out of the kitchen, eyebrows furrowed as he said, "You've only been working for 15 minutes."

"Yup." Jess replied as he opened the diner door, gave a flick of his hand as a goodbye, and walked out.

As he walked down the sidewalk he debated on what to do. Read on a bench, read at the bridge, or just walk. There weren't many other options for him. He finally settled on reading in the square, seeing as it was closest.

He walked quietly and softly sat on the bench. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a thin paperback book and also a pencil. He noted that he'd need a new one soon. The eraser on this was almost gone and the pencil itself was getting incredibly short. These were his last thoughts before he opened the book to a well-worn page, wrinkled with time, as the text consumed him.

He didn't notice the time as he continued to read, occasionally pausing at a particular passage to cram some of his own thoughts into the margin. That was why he loved reading so much. He could make it his own. The words here did not judge him, they had no eyes to look at him with disappointment, no mouth to voice their dislike for him, no hand to strike him. They were just there to be taken in at his disposal. And he could criticize them, express his love for them, his hatred, his passion, and they would never be able to do anything but rest on a page. These words were his friends, they were his family, not these people, not this world.

After all, wasn't it so much easier to care for a book instead of a person? He could ask nothing of it, and it could ask nothing in return. They were equals.

He moved his leg and felt a tingling sensation, alerting him that he had been sitting there longer than he thought. As he moved it more, slightly bouncing his leg, it began to regain some more movement and the feeling of pinpricks hit it. He had always hated that feeling.

He looked down at his watch showing that it was now 10:24. He'd been there for a little over two hours. Instead of standing, he tucked the book back in his pocket and spread his arms out, resting them on the back of the bench. His legs were stretched out in front of him, as he leisurely relaxed.

Jess had always been a people watcher. An odd habit, but just something he did. He could sit for hours and just watch people go by. He'd gained a lot of knowledge in doing so. He was more accurately able to pinpoint a person's personality, based on their clothing, who they were with, what they were doing. Things like how they walked, talked, acted all gave way to who they were.

Most people never even knew they were being watched. They would stroll by without a care. However he had never been one of those people. He could always feel someone else's eyes on him.

It was a sense he'd developed growing up. He knew who was around him, was aware of what they were doing, and was always cautious.

He knew he had no reason to be cautious in this town, but it was something he'd never been able to shake.

As he continued to watch something caught his eye. It was just a quick glimpse but he immediately recognized it to be her. A quick flash of brown hair whipping back as she rounded the corner and entered the small grocery store. He stood to his feet and placed his arms behind his back, carrying the book and softly tapping it against the palm of his hand as he walked. When he reached the storefront he peered through the glass and saw her standing in an aisle reading the back of a box.

Rory walked slowly through the aisles, her purse on her right shoulder and shopping basket hanging from her left arm. She glimpsed at the foods before her and scrunched her nose when she saw things like canned peaches, green beans, oranges, apples, apple sauce, and so on. She looked back at the sign over head. So that explained it, she was in the fruits and vegetables section. A certain section she had avoided most of her life. She turned to the next aisle, which read sweets. She smiled as she quickly walked to the middle.

Jess entered the store, yet again another bell sounding over his head. Boy, that small town charm. Was it possible to mentally roll your eyes? If so he was doing it right now.

He walked silently, looking down rows as he went. As he came to the sweets aisle he looked over and saw her animatedly grabbing assorted bags of candy and piling them into her basket. He smirked as he moved to the next row and walked down it.

Rory spotted a bag of miniature marshmallows and reached out her hand to grab it but then stopped. To its right was a bag of large marshmallows. Oh, the dilemmas she faced.

Jess crept slowly behind her and saw her staring at various bags of marshmallows.

"Get the large ones. The miniatures are so small that you'll eat almost the entire bag in one sitting."

Rory smiled to herself as she whirled around. "But the large ones are too big to fit in hot chocolate." She replied as if it were obvious.

"Then buy the hot chocolate with marshmallows in it." He reasoned.

"But those are the fake ones. They aren't fluffy or chewy and you certainly can't put them on smores." She argued her point.

"True," he nodded his head in agreement, "but wouldn't you rather be able to get large marshmallows that you can put on smores and a box of hot chocolate with marshmallows? That way you can just eat the big marshmallows while drinking the hot chocolate." He replied with a smirk.

She smiled brightly. "Wow, I'm impressed."

He just shrugged and said, "What can I say. I'm a genius."

She rolled her eyes. "And don't forget humble." She said sarcastically.

He just smirked as he looked down at her basket. "So who in their right mind would need…oh I'd say you have about 10 pounds of candy in there?" He said while gesturing to the basket which was currently dragging her arm down from its weight.

She looked down embarrassed at the exceptional amount of sugar she was currently holding. "You're exaggerating." She tried to defend herself.

"Did we or did we not just have a conversation on which size marshmallow was better?" He grinned.

"Leaving now." She stated with red cheeks as she walked out of the aisle. As she made her way to the end she turned to her left and quickly grabbed a bag of apples and peaches to save herself from further embarrassment at the check out.

Realizing that he'd made her very uncomfortable he tried to backpedal. "I'm sorry." He stated. He frowned as he saw her put the fruit into her cart. "You're not going to eat that are you?" He asked knowingly.

She stopped and looked back at him as he quirked an eyebrow at her. "Of course I am. I wouldn't have picked it up if I wasn't." She said confidently as she looked away and continued walking.

He eased up. "Okay if you say so."

"I do." She stated with a nod.

"Okay." He said as he continued to stare at her with a smirk.

She ignored him as she put the basket onto the counter and started to unload it onto the belt. She looked up and saw Dean was working at the register and smiled as she greeted him. "Hello Dean. Its nice to see you."

"You too Ms. Gilmore." He replied with a nervous smile. He continued to ring up the items, a total of 5 bags of candy and…2 bags of fruit. He looked up at her but said nothing as he bagged them.

Rory continued to look away, refusing to be embarrassed. She looked back and saw Jess leaning against a shelf still looking at her. She huffed as she began to get flustered. "Is there something I can help you with Jess?"

He frowned at her formal tone. "Nope, I'm just dandy."

"That's nice." She stated before handing Dean some cash. He counted out her change and handed it to her with his receipt. She picked up her 2 bags and walked to the door and outside.

Jess sighed and waited a second longer before he also left the store.

Dean stared after them in confusion.

Jess looked to his left and saw her walking quickly down the street. God she could walk fast sometimes.

He jogged quickly until he matched her stride. She continued to look forward. "I'm sorry if I offended you or something."

She sighed. She turned her head quickly to look at him and saw he was just staring down with his hands in his pockets. "You didn't offend me. I was just embarrassed." She stated as she shrugged a shoulder.

He nodded in understanding. "So really what's with all the junk?"

"I'm having a movie marathon. Me and my mom used to have them all the time." She said with a smile.

"Huh."

"Yeah. We always come up with crazy themes and stay up all night eating massive amounts of junk before crashing after our sugar high wears off." She laughed.

He smiled at her laughter. "Thus the need for at least 8 different types of candy, all guaranteed to rot your teeth."

"I figure I'll lose them eventually when I turn into an old cat lady so why not get a head start." She replied.

"Well good luck with that." He said with a chuckle.

She smiled to herself as the continued to walk in silence. They soon reached a gravel driveway leading up to a house surrounded by large oak trees. "Well this is my stop." She said quietly.

"Yeah." He replied. Had he just walked all the way home with her?

They stood awkwardly as they reached her porch. He stopped at the stairs as she continued to climb them. She set her bag down as she was unlocking the door. She turned with her hand still on the knob as she pushed the door open halfway. "See you tomorrow." These were her last words before the door was shut and nothing but silence greeted his ears.

**Reviews are very appreciated. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks for all the reviews. Some people asked for more length and so I have delivered. I hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. **

She burst through the door just before the bell ring, consequently slamming it against the wall in her fervor.

Disheveled.

Tired.

Grumpy.

Coffee-less.

Her students stared at her with wide eyes, surprised at the sudden entry. She tried to carry herself as best she could as she walked to her desk and set her things down. She reached up and found her hair in disarray, held loosely in bun with wispy pieces falling around her face. She quickly pulled the ponytail out of her hair and let it fall loose around her face. She straightened her shirt and smoothed her skirt and let out a large sigh.

"Good morning everyone. I'm sorry about being late. Damn fuzzy alarm clock, I'm never taking anything from my mother again," She mumbled the last half to herself and looked up to see confused and somewhat worried eyes staring at her. She blushed at her rambling before composing herself and sitting at her desk. "I hope everyone had a good weekend." She said with a tired and somewhat forced smile.

This morning had officially been declared a disaster. The purple, fuzzy, meowing alarm clock her mother had given her a year ago as a present decided to be testy this morning. It had gone off forty minutes later than it should have. Thus resulting in her skipping breakfast, which included her beloved coffee, no make-up, almost breaking her ankles trying her best to run in heels, and arriving half an hour later than she normally did.

"Would everyone please remove the green literature book from under their seats." She instructed. As everyone was getting their books she took a small mirror from her purse and looked at herself with a frown. Her eyes were puffy and had bags under them, and she looked drained. Her movie night had run a little later than planned and against her better judgement she had decided to stay up 'til 1:00 when she normally would be in bed by 11:00. She was exhausted, barely being able to keep her head from falling to her desk. Funny how a cheap, metal, school provided desk could look so unbelievably comfy at this moment. Provided it was probably comfier than her couch.

Everyone had the books on their desk so she asked them to turn to page 164. "Today we're going to be reading some poetry by Robert Frost." She heard a drawn out groan from the back of the class. "Is there a problem Jess?"

"Poetry." He said with a scowl.

"You don't like it?" She asked with surprise.

"Geez Ms. Gilmore what would give you that impression." He replied his voice dripping with sarcasm. A few other boys in the room snickered and others scoffed at his attitude.

"Robert Frost is a very beloved poet." She said, ignoring his last comment.

"It's too slow. _Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening _could have been summed up in four sentences. If you're trying to say something just say it." He replies as if exasperated.

"Well if you detest poetry so greatly what would you suggest we read?" Rory replied with one hand resting on her hip.

Jess smirked as he said, "Maybe some Kerouac, Hemmingway, no poetry, oh and no Rand."

Her eyes flashed as she heard his last words. "One day you're going to have to realize the genius that is Ayn Rand. Also never under any circumstances, lest I be forced, will there be any Hemmingway in my classroom." She stated determinedly but with a smile.

Most of the students hadn't been paying attention, as they were currently either sleeping, day dreaming, or just to wrapped in their thoughts to care. However a few had seen the exchange and were confused with their banter.

She let the smile drop from her face. She was becoming distracted and quickly changed the subject back to the books before them as she saw several students staring. Jess scowled at the sudden blunt ending of their conversation and sank back in his chair.

He did not open his book.

As the school day was winding down all she could think of was getting home, changing into some sweats, stretching out over her couch, and enjoying a good book. She had some papers that needed to be graded but they wouldn't take up much time since they were only grammar worksheets.

As it finally ended she sighed with relief, and exhaustedly gathered her things before heading out the door. Unlike other teachers she didn't stay after to straighten up her classroom or do work. She just arrived earlier than most in the morning.

As she was walking down the street she saw Luke's and debated whether she had enough energy to make it inside. Finally the need for coffee won over and she slowly dragged herself to the door.

"Luke could I please have the largest cup of coffee on Earth. Do you have one of those plastic swimming pools back there? Cause that would be just the right size." She said as she slumped into a seat. Over the past couple of weeks she had made it more of a routine to stop in at the diner in the mornings and occasionally after work. Her and Luke had become better friends and she now felt comfortable enough to share banter and joke around more. He was even growing accustomed to her dependence on coffee.

Sometimes she would see Jess as well. Some days they would converse about books while she ate her food and he worked at the register.

"How much have you drank today?" He asked with raised eyebrows and crossed arms.

"None, I swear to you. My alarm clock didn't meow." She said sadly.

He looked at her, extremely confused, but decided to give her a cup anyway. It was probably better if he didn't ask.

"Bless you." She said dramatically as she took a large sip and closed her eyes as the heavenly substance warmed her throat. His face held a scowl as he watched her like a car crash. Painful to watch yet unable to look away.

"Ever consider not digging yourself an early grave? Just a thought." He said with a one shouldered shrug.

She gasped as she replied, "And betray the coffee like that? After all those faithful years? Never."

He grunted in response before turning and walking into the kitchen.

She laughed quietly, as she'd won yet another battle. She took her last sip and set the empty cup back on the counter, pulling out a dollar and setting it next to it.

She walked outside, pulling her small jacket tighter around her, as the temperature was beginning to drop. She walked down the sidewalk and looked around her. It was now September and the very first leaves were beginning to lose their green shade.

She reached the corner and made sure no cars were coming before crossing the street. As she walked down the sidewalk, she neared the Town Square. She faintly heard what sounded like scuffling and looked closer to the center to see two boys fighting. There was a small crowd gathered to the side, cheering on excitedly.

She quickly hurried her pace and tried to make it to the fight before anyone was seriously hurt. As she approached she realized the people fighting were Jess and a boy she didn't recognize.

When she reached the crowd she quickly pushed her way through. "You two stop it right now! Jess back off!" She shouted angrily as she grabbed his arm and jerked him backwards, with all her might. She barely managed to detach him from the other boy before he was right back on him. "Knock it off now!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. The crowd had grown more silent and the fight was starting to wind down as Jess, breathing labored and lip bleeding, pushed himself off of the boy who was currently lying on the ground with his nose bleeding profusely.

"Everybody clear out now." She said loudly. They lingered a moment so she shouted louder. "Move your asses!" Her eyes blazed and people reluctantly started to walk in different directions. Seeing Dean walking off she quickly asked him if he could take the boy home. He nodded mutely, swung one of his arms over his shoulder, and helped him hobble back to his house.

"What the hell was that?" Rory growled at him as she had a hold on his wrist.

"What did it look like?" He said in a low voice. He pulled his arm from her, and wiped the corner of his mouth where some blood was slowly trickling to his chin.

"What happened?" She asked still angry but a little calmer than before.

"Nothing. Just your typical male testosterone flaring." He bit back.

"Oh that's bull and you know it. What happened?" She asked again with more force but more of her anger deflating and moving to concern.

"Fuck off!" He shouted loudly with his fists clenched and eyes almost black.

Her eyes widened until they were almost saucers, before they were ignited and her chest swelled with anger.

Smack.

Stinging.

A red mark.

Jess held his right cheek with his hand and rubbed it furiously, trying to remove some of the pain. His eyes had widened after the initial blow but were now just as dark and cold as they were before, even more so if possible.

"Don't you ever speak to me like that do you hear me? I may not be much older than you but I sure as hell deserve respect from you." She said as her eyes welled with angry tears.

He stared behind her in silence, eyes still cold, but he now refused to look at her. He knew he had been wrong but he wasn't about to apologize now. Pride could be a real bitch sometimes.

She stood very still but her hands shook slightly, as her mouth quivered, and she willed the tears not to fall.

Finally a solitary tear rolled down her cheek but she quickly reached up to wipe it from her face.

Some of his resolve started to break as he saw her crying. He hadn't meant to take the rest of his anger out on her. She was just the nearest target.

He looked down before quietly walking around her and heading towards the diner.

She did not turn.

The next morning came and she grouchily got ready for work. As she entered the classroom she sat at her desk, tapping her pencil, no emotion on her face.

Students entered and as she took attendance she noted Jess was not here today. She was incredibly relieved. The day passed without incident and she did not go to the diner for her usual after work cup of coffee. Store bought would have to do.

As the week progressed from Wednesday, then Thursday Jess still hadn't appeared. She hated to admit the fact, but she was growing concerned. Yes, she knew any friendship they had formed was dismal at this point but she had still expected him to attend school.

During her walk back she stopped outside the diner. She stared at the door handle trying to muster the courage to enter. As a teacher she had the responsibility of informing guardians when their children weren't showing up for class. She had to be adult about this. She told herself again and again to get over her petty hurt and anger and go inside. He may be a rude jerk but he was still a student. She calmed herself before finally entering.

The bell rang and today it only managed to annoy her.

She walked to the counter and saw Luke wiping it down. He looked up just before she reached a stool. "Hey, you haven' t been by lately." He replied with a hint of questioning.

"Yeah, I've just been, um, busy." She covered lamely. It went silent as she awkwardly sat at a stool and set her purse on the counter. "So is Jess home?" She asked quickly.

"Uh no he's out. Why?" He asked curiously. Luke knew she was his teacher and they were somewhat friendly but she had never once asked for him.

"No reason." She replied quickly. She could have smacked herself. No reason? There was a damn good reason. "Well actually," She said somewhat nervously, "Jess hasn't been at school for the last three days." She finished as she looked up at him.

"What? Are you serious? I'm going to," Luke started angrily as he pressed his palms firmly against the counter top.

"No you see there was an incident a few days ago." She replied.

"Oh geez, did he steal all the tennis balls again?" Luke asked exasperated.

"Um, no he was in a fight." Rory replied with confusion but amusement registered somewhere in her mind. Stealing all the tennis balls? Typical Jess.

"A fight! I told him there was to be no more fighting at all. Period." Luke said with a growl.

"Well he was. And I broke it up but when I tried to ask him about it he…got rather defensive." She replied trying to word it nicely.

"Defensive? What do you mean?" Luke asked oblivious.

"Well to put it plainly he told me to fuck off." Rory replied with a scowl at the memory.

Luke's eyes widened as his mouth hung slightly. "I'm going to kill that kid!" He shouted as he began to move around the counter.

"No Luke, that's not why I'm here. Even if we're no longer on a friendly basis, I'm his teacher and it's my responsibility to tell you that he hasn't been at school."

"Well thank you, for that. I'm still going to kill him." Luke said calmer but still upset.

"Who am I to mess with your parenting techniques?" She said with a smile. "Well I should be getting home."

"Yeah. Thanks again." Luke said with a sigh.

"Welcome." She said before opening the door and walking towards her home. She was happy the talk hadn't been as hard as she'd thought and ecstatic that Jess hadn't been there. Her courage would have deflated like a balloon.

As she reached her gravel driveway she stopped abruptly as she looked up. There he sat nonchalantly on her top step, reading none the less.

It registered that her feet were moving and picking up pace as she went. When had she taken a step, she wondered.

As he heard the crunching of gravel beneath solid shoes he looked up to see her walking quickly down her driveway. He had not intended on arriving here.

He had never been good with predictability.

She reached the bottom step and stopped, as if afraid to touch them, for fear they would swallow her whole. Her throat tightened and it grew more difficult to breathe. Sweaty palms wiped against her wool skirt.

He had actually been out just walking around, trying to clear his head. His attempts at reading around town were pointless, as the text wasn't able to hold his attention for more than a second. Ironically, the only place he had been able to find solace was her front porch.

She tentatively placed her foot on the first step, and as no signs of the apocalypse occurred she continued up them until she reached the top. He still sat, however now he was staring up at her.

She stared back down before walking towards the front door, unlocking it and stepping inside, leaving it slightly ajar.

Jess took this as his right of passage and quickly stood and walked through. As he made his way through he saw her turn to her right and followed her. She was sitting down at a table in what he now saw to be the kitchen. He turned to his left and saw a living room set up with a couch, television, a coffee table, and some pictures scattered about.

"I didn't let you in to give you a tour you know." She said coldly without looking up at him, as she continued to sort through some papers.

His eyes snapped back to her and he stuck his hands deep into his pant pockets. He sighed as he concluded she wasn't going to budge, no matter how long he stood there.

He quietly walked to the other side of the table and pulled out a chair, sitting quickly with a slump to his shoulders.

She glanced at him quickly before down casting her eyes.

"He was down talking Luke." Jess finally grumbled.

"Excuse me?" Rory asked.

"You heard me." He said coldly.

She sat in awe for a second. He was defending his family. She'd never seen Jess care for anyone. Sure he was nice to her but that didn't necessarily mean he cared.

"He's a jerk." She said as if to comfort him.

"Obviously." Jess replied still somewhat bitter.

"I'm sorry I was so…angry with you. You just shouldn't be fighting. You're better than that." She said with reassurance.

He snorted as he replied, "How would you know?"

She was taken aback by his snide attitude and became aggravated. "I'm trying to apologize to you and give you a compliment and you're being incredibly rude."

"Because it's true. You know nothing about me. We talk about books and that's it." He said with a slightly raised voice. "You don't know about me or my life so don't pretend you do."

"Well whose doing is that huh?" She replied with an angry sneer. "It's not like you let me know you. If anything gets too personal for your liking you shut everyone out. So don't tell me that I don't know you when you won't give me a chance to." She said vehemently.

Jess stood suddenly and moved closer to her.

Rory stood as well as to not be outdone. They were a mere foot from each other, breathing heavily in their anger, muscles tight.

Without warning he suddenly stepped forward and his lips crashed on hers in an angry kiss.

She stood immensely still with her arms locked at her side and eyes wide open. When it registered what was happening it was as if she were the tin man and her joints had suddenly been oiled down.

Her arms easily slid over his shoulders, surrounding his neck and his found their way around her waist.

She pressed her lips harder against his as all emotion was drained from them. Their anger and frustration leaked out and the kiss became softer.

Suddenly Rory stepped back from the embrace, so soon that Jess' eyes were still closed and his lips slightly parted. He opened them and revealed hazy eyes with dilated pupils.

Her hand flew to her mouth as she covered her lips quickly in disbelief. Her eyes were wide and she was shaking softly.

"Rory," Jess began as her saw her slowly unraveling.

"You need to go." She said quietly as she stepped back even more.

He stared at her silently, his eyes returning to their normal chocolate brown.

"Please just go." She said as she closed her eyes and stood silently.

Footsteps.

A click.

Silence.

**Please review. They make my world go 'round. **


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm so sorry for taking forever to update this. But here's a chapter. I know it's extremely short but I just wanted to show Rory and I'm already working on the next chapter with Jess. Thank you for reading and please review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own GG only my ideas.**

She shoved another spoonful of chocolate chip ice cream into her mouth as she sat on her couch, cross-legged, wearing a Snoopy shirt and shorts. Since Jess had left she'd been in a downward spiral of panic, denial, and confusion doing whatever she could to busy herself. She'd first made herself a pot of coffee as she hurriedly tidied around the house, picking up anything and everything that she could. Then she'd walked outside and tried to water her lawn, which didn't work very well considering she didn't have a hose. Then she'd gone back inside, plopped down on the couch, and was now stuffing herself with Ben and Jerry. She was in utter shock and disbelief. This was impossible, she could not, _**did**_ not, just kiss a student…right?

Just as she was about to scrape the last remnants of ice cream from the bottom of the tub, she froze, hurled it onto the table, and ran to find her phone. She clumsily stubbed her toe and was now juggling trying to hop on one foot and dial. Her heartbeat was at a rapid pace as she anxiously waited for it to ring.

"Hello?" Lorelai answered her phone cheerfully.

"I just kissed a boy!" Rory shouted.

"What?" Lorelai said confusedly.

"I just kissed a boy! Help Mom I'm freaking out!" Rory shouted once again as she scurried back in forth in the same place, successfully knocking over the ice cream tub.

"Ok…was he a good kisser?" Lorelai asked hesitantly. Was her 21-year-old daughter seriously calling her to say she kissed a boy? It felt like high school all over again.

"That is definitely beside the point. I don't know what to do. I can't think clearly at all." She said as her chest rose and fell shakily.

"Well sweets maybe you should first just try to calm down and tell me exactly what's going on."

"Ok." Rory said as she took enormous gulps of air and slowly her breathing started to even out. "Well he was in my house and we were fighting and then we kissed and I told him to leave and now I've been cleaning and watering lawns without watering hoses and," She babbled before Lorelai cut her off.

"Ror! That really doesn't help me. First off, who is this guy, second, why was he in your house, and third, why were you guys fighting?" Lorelai asked.

'Oh no.' Rory thought. The question she had feared. Who was he? Oh, well, just one of my 17-year-old students, no big deal. Yeah that definitely wouldn't bide well with her Mom. She had to think of a story, fast. "Well he's just, um, a guy that I know from work and lately we've been getting to know each other. We're friend-ish but we just got in this argument, over nothing really, but then he just showed up at my house and we…kissed." Rory finished hesitantly, hoping Lorelai would buy it. It wasn't a complete lie. He was indeed someone she'd met through teaching and the rest was mostly true.

"Well what's there to freak out about? Apparently you guys are friends and I'm assuming that you like him or else you wouldn't be calling me right now."

"No, you see I don't like him and I _**can't **_like him. Its just one of those work related things you know? That's some type of rule right? Thou shalt not date within the work force or something like that." Rory stated nervously with a forced laugh.

"Well its up to you. If you want something to happen then go after it, but if not just talk to him and explain you'd rather not be involved. That dating someone from work would be too awkward." Lorelai said, trying to give advice.

"Ok, I guess I can try that." Rory said as she blew out a big breath of air.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help Sweets. It's just hard to properly assess the situation without all the gritty details." Lorelai said.

"I know, but really you did help. Thank you for helping me calm down." Rory said with a small smile.

"Your welcome. And you know if it doesn't work out you could just quit your job and come live with your poor, old, sickly mother who is in desperate need of some attention." Lorelai said with a laugh.

"I will considerate it." Rory said as she joined in her laughter. "Bye Mom." She hung up the phone and slumped slowly onto her couch with a tired sigh.

Well Lorelai had succeeded in calming her down but not really helped the situation. It was simple. She could not be involved with a student, period. It was just a fleeting moment of insanity, nothing more. She would forget it and so would he. They needed to forget it, she thought as she closed her eyes.


	8. Chapter 8

**I know you guys are probably shocked. I actually updated! This is just following the end of chapter 6 on Jess's thoughts. It's very short but I just wanted something small for now and I'll be updating next with an extra long chapter dealing with both of them! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own the show.**

Jess stood on the porch and looked through her window. He watched as she shakily fell into a chair and pressed her hand firmly against her chest. He could see as it rose and fell erratically, a mirror image of his own. He stepped backwards and quickly descended the steps as he ran a hand through his hair. He pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and ran it smoothly over his fingertips. Swiftly putting it to his lips, he lit it, and inhaled. It swam through him as the nicotine worked its magic. His felt his pace beginning to slow while the smoke filled him but his head was still swimming and his mouth still held her taste. He couldn't process rational thought and his body felt like it wasn't his own. While his brain appeared to keep functioning and his legs kept moving, his mind and eyes were still plastered to that window as he saw her struggle for self-control.

He had liked it. There was no denying that and no point in it either. He had been a guy kissing a beautiful woman, which undoubtedly had made his blood stir in more than one area. He'd experienced it uncountable times before, that familiar pull and tightening in his lower abdomen and below. What was making his head blurred was that something felt oddly different. Along with his obvious sense of attraction came a feeling unknown to him. It was not love, or even high admiration. It felt more like…a pleasant regard for her. Girls were no strangers to Jess. From an early age they had favored him as their first elementary crushes, the unattainable bad-boy, and later as an easy fix for a night when they felt a little restless. He had always felt a small sense of pride in his easy ability to please women, if only physically. They used each other for a quick buzz, the high fleeting, and the memory of each other soon forgot.

But him and…Rory? Ms. Gilmore?…had only shared a short kiss, lasting only mere seconds, and still the feeling persisted and he felt as if she was not someone he would soon forget. And it was not only the fact that she was his teacher, a person he would see daily, granted he actually attended her class, but rather something in her character and his own that would not let her slip by unnoticed.

Jess didn't think of forgotten in the sense of being completely erased from his mind, no, he thought of it more as never thinking beyond the general inquiry. He'd seen girls he'd had associations with before, quite often actually. He'd seen them in New York and Stars Hollow, in school, the park, stores, and he would always notice them. It is truly foolish to believe that just because he was indifferent to these girls' he did not remember their face, their bodies, how they moved and spoke. But as stated before, he was a people watcher. These types of characteristics were burned into his brain. However if he were asked about their taste in music, favorite movie or TV show, if they were extensive readers or only the bare minimum, which foods they loved and which ones made them gag, what type of family they had, all these questions and more would be answered with silence. He heard their voice, how it fluctuated in pitch and tone, but he did not hear them describe why white and beige washed out their skin tone and black mascara was too harsh for their eyes. He did not hear when they said they stopped eating bread because they wanted to lose a few more pounds for swimsuit season. He didn't know that he shouldn't have brought them to see that 'stupid gory horror movie' because blood and guts weren't their thing. He didn't know he should consider 'Holiday in Cambodia' as 'just noise blaring from those crappy speakers.'

He saw them and he recognized them as a past fuck with the blonde, brown, black hair and the brown, green, blue eyes who was short, tall, or average height. He saw when there hips swayed in that 'perfect' pattern and their shirts rose just a little too high and dipped just a little too low. And sometimes they would see him too. That one guy they had fun with that one night, what was his name? Maybe they'd wave or give a little smile and for his part he looked on and showed nothing because he felt nothing.

He knew she had a love of junk food and a dislike of anything leafy and green. She watched movies in marathons and wasn't afraid if her eyes had a few bags the next morning. Her shirt didn't compliment her eyes and her jeans didn't give her hips that sexy curve. Her music could be loud and obnoxious or soft and mellow. She could be completely sophisticated and sometimes a little immature. He knew she at least had a mother whom she seemed to care for very much, and he assumed shared the same affection. And mostly he knew of her obvious love for reading, and not just the fact that she liked to read, but she loved novels and politics, romance and science fiction, travel and history.

And so he felt this regard for her. He felt and knew her as a person, a being, not as a body of flesh with arms and legs and eyes and a mouth that moved and feet that stepped.

**Finally chapter 8! I know you guys are absolutely amazing with an average of 20 reviews a chapter it feels so incredible! Thank you for all my faithful readers and reviewers and I hope you'll enjoy this as much as the others. I promise not to be taking so long with my next chapter. RR please!**


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